Thursday, September 27, 2012

Today's article is from "Dad" Tom Labagh, EO of PA DeMolay. He recently posted a note to Facebook about some great things that are happening in PA DeMolay. I thought they were really worth sharing. Enjoy!I am so proud to be a Pennsylvania Freemason! I am sorry for the long post, but I need to share with all of you how the Masonic family in Pennsylvania is joining with Pennsylvania DeMolay to help raise money to pay for a liver transplant for one of our members.

In February, Bro. Parker Harley, 18, was diagnosed with a rare liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). The only definite treatment for PSC is a liver transplant and lifeling medication. Parker comes from an active Masonic Family. His Dad, Bro. Jack Harley, is a well-known Past Master of Ephrata Lodge No. 665. His Mom is in Eastern Star. His brother was a DeMolay member, too. Of course, the family is actively working in the community and through a wonderful network of family and friends to raise money, but, Pennsylvania DeMolay wanted to help out too. Every PA DeMolay Chapter is committed to making a contribution or raising funds to help. Many leaders who have been honored with the DeMolay Cross of Honor, the DeMolay Legion of Honor, or the Degree of Chevalier have made very generous personal contributions. Other Masonic groups from across the state have made contributions because these honor-recipients have shared Parker's story. DeMolay leaders from other states have made personal contributions. Since July, we have raised over $14,000, just through our Pennsylvania DeMolay campaign.

The Order of the Amaranth in PA, led by Mrs. Karen Hettel, has asked all its Courts to contribute.

Bro. Tim Pletcher, District Deputy Grand Master for District 30, called to tell of a Lodge that has chosen to give the year-long collection of contributions by a social dinner club to Parker's care. Every day, something new arrives. Every day we see the heart of our Pennsylvania Masonic Family.

Today, Ill. Bro. Russell W. Baker, Deputy for Pennsylvania, hand-delivered a very generous check, designated by Sovereign Grand Commander John William McNaughton, in the amount of $10,000 from the Almoner's Fund of the Supreme Council, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, NMJ. It literally took my breath away!

And if you, or your Masonic organization would like to contribute, checks can be made payable to the "Parker Harley Benefit Fund" and send it to PA DeMolay, 1244 Bainbridge Road, Elizabethtown, PA 17022. Every donation of every size is needed and deeply appreciated. All will be deposited directly into the fund, and acknowledged.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Today's post continues my recent series of articles related to the new online DAD Training we're working on. One of the things we want to do is provide a short but concise history of DeMolay and its evolution here in the Keystone State. We dove back into the history books and pulled out some of the most important facts and put them in a timeline format. This should help everyone plot the development of DeMolay, right up to the present day. This resource will appear as a part of the historical section in the online training, so check it out!

1890 – Frank S. Land, the Founder of DeMolay is born
in Kansas City, Missouri.

February
1919 – Frank S. Land meets with
Louis Lower and 8 of his friends at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, MO.
These young men would provide the first members of DeMolay. Today, they
are known as the “Original Nine.”

March
1919 – the group assumes the
name “Order of DeMolay” and a ritual is drafted. Kansas City Chapter No. 1 is formed.
Later it will be known as Mother Chapter.

1920 – the second DeMolay Chapter is formed in Omaha, NE.

1921 – First meeting of the Grand Council of the
Order of DeMolay, predecessor to the Supreme Council of DeMolay
International.

October
28, 1922 – the Grand Commandery
of Knights Templar of Pennsylvania, led by Ralph C. Mineheart, Grand
Commander, requests that the local Commanderies take up the cause of
supporting DeMolay in Pennsylvania.

February
12, 1923 – Templar Chapter, the
first Chapter in Pennsylvania, is
established in Pittsburgh,
PA. The initial membership
class consisted of 1099 young men.

February
14, 1923 – DeMolay comes to
Eastern Pennsylvania when 1,178 members are inducted at the Metropolitan
Opera House in Philadelphia.

1924 – the Representative DeMolay Award program is
instituted. “Dad” Land shares his vision that “Every DeMolay should be a
Representative DeMolay.”

1925 – the DeMolay Legion of Honor is conferred for
the first time.

1926 – DeMolay membership in Pennsylvania peaks at 12,067 members.

June
1926 – the Associated Chapters
of the Order of DeMolay in Pennsylvania
is formed. The first Conclave is held in Pittsburgh, consisting of delegates from
36 Chapters.

1936 – the Degree of Chevalier is instituted to
honor DeMolay leaders who were not yet eligible to receive the Legion of
Honor.

1937 – “Dad” Land starts the DeMolay Hall of Fame.

1937 – PA DeMolay is split into two Jurisdictions –
East and West – being led by two different Executive Officers.

1951 – The two PA Jurisdictions are reunited under
the leadership of “Dad” Clarence Head. “Dad” Head would go on to serve as
Secretary General of DeMolay International after the passing of “Dad”
Land.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

On Monday, I gave you a preview of one of the organization charts we are using in the new online version of the DAD Training. The chart you saw was for the young men, but we all know that the adult volunteers of DeMolay are organized a bit differently. We just put the finishing touches on the Adult Leader Organization Chart and I'm happy to share it with you today! Please note, this chart was developed with Pennsylvania DeMolay in mind, but much of it applies to the organization as a whole.

DeMolay
International (Active and Deputy Members) – DeMolay International is the
highest authority on the DeMolay program. It is composed of Active Members
(who wear gold collars) and a varied number of Deputy Members (who wear
silver collars.) Active members may speak and vote on issues, while Deputy
members may only speak.

Board
of Directors of DeMolay International – This body rules when DeMolay International
is not in session. It is composed of the officers of DeMolay
International (Grand Master, Grand Secretary, Regional Representatives,
etc.), two active DeMolays (the International Master Councilor and the
International Congress Secretary) and several key committee chairmen.

Executive
Officer of Pennsylvania
DeMolay – The Executive Officer of a jurisdiction is the highest DeMolay
authority in his assigned area. He is appointed by the Grand Master of
DeMolay International with input from the Masonic organization in his
territory. He is responsible for managing and organizing DeMolay in his
jurisdiction.

Executive
Secretary of Pennsylvania
DeMolay – Appointed by the Executive Officer, the Executive Secretary
serves as his right hand man. In Pennsylvania DeMolay, the Executive
Secretary handles the day to day and clerical operations of the
organization, such as membership and program reporting, Advisory Council
registrations, and jurisdictional communications.

Executive
Officer’s Leadership Team – Each Executive Officer is allowed to appoint
jurisdictional staff members to help administer the DeMolay program in
his area. In Pennsylvania DeMolay, there are Deputy Executive Officers
who aid with administrative oversight of Chapters as assigned.
Additionally, there are program directors who handle specific duties within
PA DeMolay (such as Ritual, the State Officer Corps, and Convention.)

The
Advisory Council of a Local Chapter – Local DeMolay Chapters have an
Advisory Council which is appointed by the Executive Officer. They serve
entirely at his discretion and he may appoint and remove members at any
time, with or without reason. These adult leaders ensure that each DeMolay
Chapter meets organizational requirements and provides quality programming
for the young men.

Chapter
Chairman of the Advisory Council – The adult leadership of the Council is
overseen by the Chapter Chairman, whose job it is to make sure that the
Chapter has enough Advisors and to oversee the adults working with the
Chapter.

Chapter
Advisor – Each Advisory Council chooses a Chapter Advisor, whose job is to
work with the young men, most especially the Councilors, on planning
Chapter activities. This person serves as the conduit between the young
men and the Advisory Council.

Members
of the Advisory Council – Every member of an Advisory Council is
important and will fill varied roles, such as Ritual Advisor, Merit Bar
Advisor, etc. They will also help in making sure that every DeMolay event
meets the Youth Protection Guidelines by being available to supervise
activities.

Councilors
– The Councilors (Master, Senior, Junior) are elected by the young men
and act as their leaders. They work with the Chapter Advisor to plan
events and organize the Chapter.

Members
of the Chapter – These are the young men; the DeMolays themselves.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Here at the PA DeMolay office we juggle many projects at once. One such project is the upcoming online DAD Training program. While still in its infant stages, we are working diligently to pull together the resources necessary to do DAD and DAD Plus training programs through an electronic medium. This requires us to produce a lot of documentation and resources. One of the things I've been pulling together is an organization chart of DeMolay. Today, I thought I'd give you a preview of that piece. This should give the newbies a good idea of how the youth lead our organization while giving veteran DeMolay folks a new way to look at things.

Please keep in mind that these are draft documents and do not represent a final product. They are also tailored for Pennsylvania.

First, let's look at the chart itself:

Now, let's go through the descriptions for each entry on the chart:

DeMolay Youth Leader Organization Chart Descriptions

DeMolay
International Congress – Composed of two representatives from each
jurisdiction, as well as cabinet members and the International Master
Councilor and the International Congress Secretary; this body serves as
the voice of the members of DeMolay to DeMolay International. In Pennsylvania, two
of the Elected State Officers serve as the representatives.

The
International Master Councilor and the International Congress Secretary –
Elected by their peers, these two members of DeMolay hold seats on the
Board of Directors of DeMolay International and act as the public face of
DeMolay. They represent the interests of the DeMolay International
Congress when not in session.

Regional
Cabinet Members – Represent the interest of DeMolays from various
geographical areas. Each Region elects its own Cabinet member, who then
works with the International Master Councilor and International Congress
Secretary to achieve programming goals.

State
/ Jurisdictional Master Councilors – Each state or jurisdiction selects a
State / Jurisdictional Master Councilor to lead DeMolay. He will act as a
liaison between DeMolay and the Masonic Fraternity, as well as the public.
In Pennsylvania,
he is also given the responsibility of organizing and leading the DeMolay
program across the Commonwealth through initiatives and program planning.
The State Master Councilor is elected by the DeMolays in Pennsylvania at the annual Convention.
He must have served as least one term as an Elected State Officer before
submitting his name to run for State Master Councilor.

Elected
State Officers – The Elected State Officers are the backbone of PA
DeMolay. They assist the State Master Councilor in executing his goals, as
well as provide leadership to the young men in the local Chapters.

Appointed
State Officers – The State Master Councilor appoints several young men to
leadership positions within the fraternity. These members will take part
in ritual presentations and serve on jurisdictional committees.

Chapter
Master Councilors – Every DeMolay Chapter elects a Master Councilor who
will lead the Chapter for a six month term. He will plan and execute
several activities and programs aimed at providing a fun and educational
experience for his members and serving the community in which the Chapter
is located.

Members
of the Chapter - These are the young men; the DeMolays themselves.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

As I looked at doing today's blog post, I knew I wanted something different. The Key Man pieces we've been posting have been great, but I wanted something a little more visual and exciting for today. Thankfully, I recently received an email that ensured I could do that!

DeMolay in Brazil is a big deal. There are thousands of members in that country alone (and it rivals the size of DeMolay International.) There are lots of young men and Advisors in Brazil who have the teachings of DeMolay in their heart; one such person is Bro. André William Chormiak.

He and I first began communicating via email when he contacted me about some membership program questions. Later, we continued to chat about history and other items. I get about one email a month from him. Sometimes it's just about what is going on in Brazil DeMolay, but other times it might be of interest to a broader audience. His last email was one of those situations.

Bro. Chormiak is a big collector of DeMolay and has amassed quite an impressive number of pieces of memorabilia relating to DeMolay through the years. He passed along some pictures from his collection and I wanted to share them with you. It contains items from both the United States and Brazil. I hope you enjoy! (Don't forget, you can click the images to see a larger version!)

Monday, September 10, 2012

This piece originally appeared in the "Key Crew," the official newsletter of the Key Man Conference. It was written by Bro. Jordan Ippolito, who was participating in the JO track at KMC 2012. The article caught the eye of "Dad" Labagh, EO of PA DeMolay, and he sent it my way, recommending it as a blog post. Enjoy!

Why do we say a prayer before each meal? We do not just do it because we have to, but because we want to give thanks for the food we are about to receive, as well as what we have and those who are surrounding us. Realizing that blessings happen every day, it is of the utmost importance that we, as DeMolays, be thankful for these things provided to us. DeMolay does not tell us to worship any specific faith, but simply encourages us to be reverent people and realize the blessings from God. So, from now on, every time we say a prayer, remember to be thankful all that you have and that we are also observing our Second Precept, Reverence for Sacred Things.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

This piece originally appeared in the "Key Crew," the official newsletter of the Key Man Conference. It was written by Bro. Alex Garcia, who was participating in Track 2 at KMC 2012. The article caught the eye of "Dad" Labagh, EO of PA DeMolay, and he sent it my way, recommending it as a blog post. Enjoy!
During Ritual Hour, we at Key Man Conference learned the basics of why we need to know ritual and why it is so important to the core of organization. We learned not just the words, but what the meaning is behind the words. Once you understand what the true meaning is behind what you are saying, it becomes much easier to learn the ritual and the words will come to you more easily. However, learning ritual is not just about memorizing and learning the values that the words teach; it is also an honor. By learning the ritual we will have the privilege to follow in the footsteps of all the DeMolays who have come before us and said these same words. Over the next few days, each of us will have the opportunity, with help of our Advisors, to learn the ritual that has meant so much to so many of the members of this organization over the years, and we can all earn our Obligations Cards!